As the warm summer breeze fades away, autumn makes its way back. What better place to make the most out of it than Edinburgh? With the cosy nights in and the hot cups of tea comes the sound of rain against your window (and the weight of having to carry an umbrella everywhere you go). Even so, what would autumn be without listening to the pouring rain while you read a book in the comfort of your room? Then again, you must have a fitting story that meets the criteria for said ambience, which is exactly what the following recommendations are about.
Even if you have already seen the movie adaptation, I hope you will be quick to pick up Perfume by Patrick Süskind. The perfect mixture of an unhinged but sophisticated story, with many dark turns that could only be properly experienced with the restlessness of an October storm.
Following on with the sombre recommendations, we have Stefan Zweig’s Letter from an unknown woman. A short but highly intense book that deserves the melancholy and gloominess of an autumn day, and I can assure you that the sound of drops against your window creates the perfect atmosphere to read it.
And of course, this list could not properly end without mentioning Agatha Christie. Not only does this woman have the most engaging thrillers, but the way she plays with settings and atmosphere is that of someone who knows exactly what they are doing. If you are not sure where to start, you could pick one of her many musts, like Murder in the Orient Express, or you could go for a shorter—but brilliant nonetheless—piece, such as the play The Mousetrap. Whichever you choose, you’d better do it while you still don’t have many assignments to submit, because you won’t be able to put the book down.
The experience of a cosy reading night is one of the things we literary nerds are most looking forward to during the autumn season, so I hope that at least one of these recommendations has made it to your Goodreads list, and that you will enjoy it just as much as I did.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash